After dinner, Sir Benedict abruptly received a direct summons from His Majesty, King Reginald IV Aurelion.
With no room to delay, he departed at once for the royal palace—leaving the Crown Prince behind at the Sebastian Hanwick residence. The official excuse was simple enough: the prince would remain to observe and learn the mechanics of business directly from Adrian Hanwick.
One by one, the household drifted back to their own affairs.
Seo-jun, intending to retreat to his room, was intercepted by an unusually energetic Ernest.
Now that they were finally alone, the Crown Prince looked almost gleeful.
"So, what are you planning to do now, Adrian?" Ernest asked, eyes bright.
"Going back to work?"
Seo-jun shook his head.
"No, Your Highness. I intend to return to my room. I'm tired," he replied flatly.
Ernest raised an eyebrow.
"No casino? No bar? No bawdy house?"
"It's barely nine. And you're already going to bed? Come on. Don't try so hard to hide who you really are."
Seo-jun let out a small chuckle, shaking his head.
Annoying. If he weren't the Crown Prince, I'd have broken his nose by now.
"No, Your Highness," he said calmly.
"I've left all that behind. As you heard at dinner, parts of my past memories have faded. It feels as though I've been born again… as someone better."
That made Ernest pause.
Seo-jun didn't wait for a response. He offered a brief nod and headed toward his room. The servants had already prepared separate quarters for the Crown Prince, so there should have been no issue.
But just as his fingers touched the doorknob—
Another hand stopped him.
The door was pushed shut again.
Seo-jun turned sharply, irritation flashing across his face.
Ernest Aurelion stood before him—expression serious, stripped entirely of the careless foolishness he had displayed all evening.
Seo-jun's chest tightened.
His mind flashed to the historical records—the future in which the Crown Prince would condemn the Sebastian Hanwick family as traitors after Alaric sided with the Church.
Before he could react, Ernest grabbed his arm and pulled him inside the room.
He didn't stop until they reached the sofa. Ernest motioned for Adrian to sit, then took the opposite seat.
"Finally…" Ernest exhaled deeply.
"I can breathe."
A crooked grin formed—no longer playful, but sharp.
"Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to pretend to be stupid?"
"An idiot, to be precise."
"It's unbearable. I was starting to lose my mind."
Seo-jun said nothing.
So his suspicion had been correct.
He exhaled slowly and crossed one leg over the other.
"I cannot claim to understand what you're feeling, Your Highness," he said carefully.
"But may I ask—what is your objective in acting that way? Do you wish for the world to underestimate you?"
Ernest did not answer immediately.
He rose and walked toward the window of Adrian Hanwick's room, staring out into the quiet courtyard below.
"Power is intoxicating," he said flatly.
"You stand above everyone. Feared. Untouchable."
He paused.
"But if you must sacrifice everything to keep it… then where is the happiness in that?"
His voice was cold—yet laced with something unmistakably wounded.
For a fleeting moment, Seo-jun felt an unsettling thought creep into his mind.
The man standing before him felt like someone who had also come from the future—not transported into another body like Seo-jun, but returned as himself, carrying regrets too heavy to bear.
Ernest turned back, a faint smile touching his lips.
Then he stepped closer—
"You probably won't believe me," Ernest said quietly—but firmly.
"Your family is standing on the edge of ruin, Adrian."
His gaze was steady. No hint of humor remained.
"A great war will break out between the Crown and the Church. And when it does, your family will be dragged straight into the center of it."
He paused.
"You're the one who can change that."
Seo-jun didn't interrupt. He simply listened.
"It may sound absurd," Ernest continued, "but I want you to be prepared. I'm telling you this only because… you've changed. And this isn't an ordinary change."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"You'll understand what I mean."
Seo-jun nodded slowly.
By now, he was certain of one thing—Crown Prince Ernest Aurelion wasn't merely clever or manipulative.
He knew something.
Something that wasn't supposed to happen yet.
Before the conversation could go any further, a knock echoed against the door.
In an instant, Ernest sat back down and slipped on his mask again—wide smile, vacant eyes, relaxed posture. The foolish Crown Prince returned as if nothing had happened.
"Come in," Seo-jun said.
The door opened. Rowan stood at the threshold and bowed deeply.
"Oh—greetings, Your Highness, Crown Prince. I didn't mean to interrupt your discussion. Please forgive my rudeness."
Ernest laughed lightly, walked over, and casually pressed a kiss to Rowan's forehead before heading out.
"It's fine. We're finished. Good night."
Once Ernest's footsteps faded, Rowan stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
He looked at his brother, who was still sitting there in silence—as if part of his mind had been left behind in that conversation.
"What were you two talking about, Brother?" Rowan asked, plopping down onto the sofa.
"That prince is an idiot. What could he possibly discuss?"
Seo-jun crossed his legs and rested his chin on his hand.
"Watch your mouth," he said calmly.
"Walls have ears. One careless word, and your head could roll."
Rowan froze instantly, instinctively clutching his neck and glancing around in panic.
"I—I was just joking…"
"Oh, right," Rowan added quickly, trying to change the subject.
"Princess Victoria Aurelion's birthday is next month. What are you planning to give her? Jewelry? Perfume? Or—"
"A crossbow."
Silence.
"…What?" Rowan stared at him in disbelief.
"You're giving a weapon to the most elegant princess in the kingdom? Have you lost your mind? There's no way she'd accept that!"
Seo-jun smiled faintly and turned toward the window. The night sky was filled with stars—a sight he rarely saw in his previous life, where city lights drowned out the heavens.
"Tastes can change," he said casually.
"Care to bet?"
Rowan grinned.
"Fine! If she rejects it, you have to grant me anything I ask."
Seo-jun nodded once.
"And if she accepts it," he replied evenly,
"you stay in this country until I officially become the heir of the family."
Rowan hesitated—then eagerly clasped his brother's hand.
"Deal!"
Seo-jun wasn't completely sure the gift would be accepted.
But this wasn't just a wager.
It was a test.
If Princess Victoria accepted the crossbow, then the flow of history he remembered hadn't completely broken.
But if the gift was rejected—or caused a scandal—
Then this world had already drifted far beyond the history written in his books.
And if history could no longer be predicted…
Then the war Ernest spoke of might arrive far sooner than it ever should have.
And placed a hand on Adrian Hanwick's shoulder.